Discovering Pâte de Fruit & Liquid Ratios: tips to transform your Debic desserts!
Knowledge is often transferred from one generation of cooks to another. We accept many things as true, but sometimes we wonder why we do certain things and whether there's a better way. Debic has a team of culinary advisers, specialist pastry chefs, master ice cream makers and product developers throughout Europe, with a wealth of knowledge and experience that we enjoy sharing with you.
Ganache montée is a French term that refers to an airy, creamy and soft version of ganache. It is made by adding hot cream and gelatin to chocolate. Once the mixture has cooled again, it is beaten until it has a light, airy consistency. Ganache montée is often used as a filling and finish for cakes, truffles, chocolates and desserts.
A pâte de fruit, which is literally French for a fruit paste, is a type of confectionery made from fresh fruit puree, sugar and pectin. This mixture is cooked until it has a thick, jelly-like consistency, and is then cut into cubes or other shapes. The cubes are covered in sugar or powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking. A pâte de fruit often has an intense flavour and they come in a variety of fruity flavours. They are popular in French patisserie and enjoyed throughout the world for their rich, fruity flavour and soft texture.
Brix is a measure used to indicate the sugar content of a liquid. This is usually in juices, wines, beers or other liquids in which sugar is a major component. It is often expressed in degrees Brix, which corresponds to the percentage of dissolved dry substance (mainly sugar) in the liquid sample. Brix is measured using a refractometer: an instrument that measures the difference in the refractive index of light through a liquid to determine its sugar content. This is important in several recipes. Examples include ice cream, as well as wine and beer production. In fact, the sugar content affects flavour, ripeness and fermentation processes.
Bronte, located on the Italian island of Sicily, is where you can find the very finest pistachios – also known as the “green gold”. Many pistachio trees grow on the slopes of Mount Etna, which is still an active volcano. Their roots have to go down very deep to find the scarce water in the lava soil, which is permeated with natural minerals. The flavour of these pistachios is noticeably different from pistachios from other areas. This is mainly due to the terroir: the soil around Mount Etna gives this pure delicacy their unique, natural and salty flavour.
To ensure the unique quality of the emerald green pistachio nuts from Sicily's Bronte, local pistachio farmers harvest them by hand.They only do this every two years, in odd-numbered years. This allows the pistachio trees to remain strong and fertile. Bronte pistachios have been registered with a European PDO designation since 2009. The quality requirements for Bronte pistachios are: a bold green colour, a long shape, an intensely aromatic flavour and high monounsaturated fat content.
"On average, you can add up to 20% liquid to Debic Dessert bases without drastically changing their texture. However, we do always recommend using concentrated flavours. Examples are strong espresso, a fruit puree or intense spices. If you use strong flavours, you don't have to add much. Also consider the option of infusing flavours into (a small amount of) Debic Dessert bases. In this case, you are not adding any extra volume at all, but you can still get the intense flavour. One example of this is the use of spices."
Do you have a question for our Culinary Specialist?
She is here at FrieslandCampina Professional to answer all your culinary questions. Send your question by email to sofie.vanderhasselt@frieslandcampina.com.
A Perfect Chance to Master the Liquid Ratio with Debic Parfait!
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